This invention relates to a tool which facilitates the securing of a child safety restraint to the seat of a vehicle, and particularly to a tool for guiding a seat belt through or around the restraint, a task which otherwise is inconvenient, awkward and difficult to perform.
The presence of safety restraints in automobiles and the use of such restraints by passengers is now mandatory in the United States. For adults and older children it is a simple matter to secure themselves to the seat of a vehicle by simply pulling the seat belt across their body and coupling the male end of the assembly with the female end of the assembly in a normal manner. The protection of infants and young children up to about 4 or 5 years of age calls for the use of an additional restraint such as a separate carrier, commonly referred to as a child's car seat, in which the child is strapped or otherwise secured. Generally, the child is safely secured in the carrier after the carrier has been strapped to the seat of the vehicle using a seat belt. The seat belt is normally threaded through the carrier frame and the two ends of the seat belt are locked at the buckle assembly securing the carrier or child safety restraint to the seat of the vehicle.
The manipulation of the seat belt through the frame of the restraint can and usually does pose a considerable inconvenience for the person securing the restraint. For example, the person must use one hand to grasp the male half of the seat belt and guide it through the proper opening while at the same time using the other hand to reach over or around the carrier and through the opposite side of the frame to grasp the male end of the belt in order to bring the belt completely through the carrier frame so that it can be coupled with the female half of the seat belt.
The operation in most instances must be performed in a continuous motion. If there is a pause while extending the seat belt through the frame, the belt in most cases will automatically lock, preventing further extension of the belt. When this occurs, the belt must be released and returned to its original position and the operation restarted. Obviously, this can be a very difficult task to perform.
Devices are known and employed as assisting or pulling devices for actuating slide fasteners. Such a device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,588 to Scheldorfer. The device comprises a flexible strip having a first hook at one end shaped to be engaged by the index finger of the user and a second hook at the opposite end shaped to engage the eyelet of the zipper flange. The device includes a shield for preventing the fastener elements from entanglement with the cloth of the garment and the skin of the wearer during the closing operation.